I first noticed the rocking chairs a few years ago while flying out of Seattle. It seemed like a quirky touch not out of character at an airport with an abundance of art and whose drinking fountains play amplified gargling sounds. Then I noticed them in Durham. Then in San Diego. If I had to pick places I’d expect to see rocking chairs, front porches, living rooms, and pretty much anywhere else would rank far above cavernous and stark airport terminals, yet that’s probably where I’m most likely to see them. And while I could imagine an aggressively whimsical designer somewhere throwing a bunch of rocking chairs in a terminal, I had a hard time seeing how they’d sprung up in so many airports across the country. Where did they come from? (Columbia Metropolitan Airport, S.C., Robert Couse-Baker / Flickr) It turns out they come from a guy named Champ Land and his wife, Jean, who co-own Troutman Chairs in North Carolina, where the trend began. "We’ve got rockers in about 40 airports around the country," Land says, perplexed by my call at first but clearly proud of his dominance in the airport rocking chair industry.
"Philly has rockers, Burlington has rockers — right many of the North and South Carolina airports have rockers." The chairs are called Kennedy Rockers, named after the type that John F. Kennedy used to alleviate his back pain. Kennedy had dozens of the chairs and placed them everywhere — in the Oval Office, at Camp David, and aboard Air Force One. Kennedy’s chairs were made by P&P, another North Carolina company, which the Lands bought in 2009. The chairs are tall and straight, with flat wooden slats running up the back and a curved seat. In airports, they’re usually painted white or stained and left unpainted. (Reagan National, Matt Billings / Flickr) The trend started by accident in 1997 at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The airport had a temporary photography exhibit called Porch Sitting, says Haley Gentry, who manages amenities at Charlotte Douglas. There were large photos of front porches, with rocking chairs, and in front of the photos, as props, actual rocking chairs.
When the exhibit’s time was up they took the chairs away, and people got upset. "We didn’t realize how popular they were 'til we went to remove the exhibit," Gentry says. "We went to remove the rocking chairs and we got such a public outcry that we said, ‘Wow, we need to keep these here,’ and we expanded them." From there, the rockers spread from airport to airport. The people I spoke to at Sea-Tac and Miami were a little hazy on exactly where the idea for the chairs came from — someone who worked for the airport saw them at another airport, thought they were nice, and contacted Land, who became the de facto supplier of airport rocking chairs. (Boston Logan, Matthew Walker / Flickr) The chairs caught on for the same reason they seem so out of place: airports are not, typically, pleasant and relaxing places. Security is an ordeal. The threat of missed flights or delays gives everything an undercurrent of anxiety. And through it all, you’re lugging unwieldy baggage.
Rocking chairs signal the opposite of hurry. They’re also an easy addition to terminals, which are ordinarily difficult to renovate. Airports are always in use; they can’t be simply shut down and redesigned, so any improvements have to be made piecemeal. Rocking chairs are basically modular seating that can be installed overnight and rearranged as needed. A bonus, Gentry points out, is that they can be moved near power outlets, often in short supply at older terminals. (Anne Santos / Flickr) "Airports tend to be such a fast-paced environment," Gentry says. "It can be overwhelming for people who aren’t seasoned travelers. The rocker is a yin to that yang. It’s more of a slow pace. You’re controlling the rocker, where a lot of the time in an airport you’re not controlling your environment. It’s a nice pause button in a hectic environment." Land gives a similar reason for his chair’s success. "A rocker is something that relaxes you, and everyone is uptight in an airport," he says.
"If you get enough rockers in there, that’s at least that many people who aren’t going to be calling and raising heck about something."While trying (and I mean trying… or in honest truth, actually secretly adding while trying..to work through my stash of projects, I finally decided to empty my brain of the plans I had to create a unique piece. Enter in this vintage Bentwood shabby chic rocking chair. For some reason, the moment I got this chair, I kept seeing a cross-stitch loom in the caning. And, of course, it needed to be filled with some sort of shabby type design. Since I hadn’t done a shabby piece in a while (I’ve been a modern vibe for a bit), I thought now was the perfect time. Especially because our weather is lacking and I’m suffering from cabin fever!! Just picture me on my desk chair next to the rocker, half-kinked over trying to reach the back with needle and yarn. My back and neck were killing me. I honestly didn’t notice too much because I was having fun!
I must say that even though this chair was available in my shop, (SOLD) I would be perfectly happy to keep it because my kids and I used it for a while before working on it and it is oh so comfortable! It has the most wonderful rocking gait – long and smooth. See more makeovers like this shabby chic rocking chair: This site utilizes cookies to offer you the best experience possible. more information Got it!The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.A wicker rocker on the porch is the perfect place to relax. Wicker is a weaving process in which thin, supple strips of rattan reed or paper fibers are woven around sturdier frame pieces to make rocking chairs or other types of furniture. Because the weaving process is so time-consuming, especially with old Victorian pieces that have many embellishments, true wicker furniture is typically expensive.
Your old rocker might be an heirloom or perhaps you picked it up at a yard sale. In either case, your goal for refinishing it is to remove the old finish and apply a new finish without harming the original fibers. Spread dropcloths in your work area under the rocker. Work in a well-ventilated area. Scrape off as much flaking paint as you can with a brass or wire brush. Always brush lengthwise along the wicker pattern rather than sideways, to avoid scratching the fibers. You may also use a commercial paint scraper, but do not scrape too deeply, which can gouge the fibers. Sand the edges of the spots where paint remains to blend and soften them. Wipe off sanding dust and debris with tack cloths or a damp rag. Apply a coat of oil-based primer to all parts of the chair using a natural bristle brush. You can also use a paint sprayer, but do this only if you have a dedicated spraying enclosure, to avoid toxic and wasteful overspray. Apply two coats of oil-based paint in the same way. Make the coats thin to avoid globs of paint or drips marring the surface.
Wipe up any drips immediately with rags. Prepare your workspace as suggested in Section 1, Step 1. Clean thoroughly an old wicker rocker that has not been painted – or have the piece "dipped" by a professional furniture stripper. Trying to strip a wicker rocker by yourself will be frustrating, as it will be hard to get paint out of all the crevices in the woven reeds. Sand the rocker lightly but thoroughly to roughen the surfaces, which will make the stain and varnish adhere better. Wipe off all sanding dust with tack cloths or damp rags. Dip a clean rag into the stain and wipe it onto the wicker rocker, supplementing with a synthetic brush to get stain into all the crevices. One advantage to stain is that it will tend to hide scratches and other imperfections in the wicker. Finish with a clear varnish or polyurethane topcoat. Use a synthetic brush and apply carefully to avoid drips and spills. Things You Will Need Dropcloths Wire or brass brush Paint scraper (optional) Sandpaper, 80- to 100-grit Tack cloths or rags Oil-based primer Oil-based paint Natural bristle paintbrush Synthetic paintbrush Stain Varnish or polyurethane Paint tray Tip References Wicker Warehouse: What Is Wicker?